


Labyrinth: Eyes Can Be So Cruel

by SadyetHappy



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, F/M, Romance?, post Movie story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-10 04:52:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11684475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadyetHappy/pseuds/SadyetHappy
Summary: When babysitting Jayden and Estella, May tells them the story of the Labyrinth and ends up bringing goblins and even the Goblin King himself to their house. The ambivalent May accompanied by her axe must make her way through Jareth's labyrinth and save the kids. This story contains graphic violence, language, and adult themes. Read at your own advisement. JarethxOCOriginally Posted on Fanfiction.net





	1. Chapter 1

There in the doorway stood a young woman. She wore a black steel bonded over bust corset, with brass latches and silver chains. Her jeans were dark denim, and her lace up wedge boots went over her knees. Her black curly hair hung just shy of her hips, and her makeup consisted of dark browns, blacks, and reds. She shook the hand of the children's father, a young father himself who had been raising his kids all alone. Though the woman's appearance was intimidating , all the children whom she babysat for adored her.

"Hello, sorry about this." The father said while welcoming her into his home.

"No, problem. I love spending time with them." Her voice seemed almost too sweet for her appearance.

"The kids are upstairs, the dog is in the basement, and I just finished cutting up some more firewood incase this storm gets worse." He pointed over to the fireplace, where a large stack of wood and an axe laid against the wall.

"Sweet, thank you." She said while taking off her boots. The girl went from six foot one, to five foot ten as she removed her shoes.

"Jayden! Estella!" he yelled in a caring yet demanding voice, "I'm leaving now!" and with that two young children starting running down the stairs. Jayden, the eldest child was only seven years old and Estella, was only three. Two children with two different moms who had left the picture.

"Bye dad." Jayden said with only the small bit of affection. As to what most young boys do when trying to act older than what they are.

"Love you daddy." Estella gave her father a huge hug and kiss before he left for his graveyard shift.

The young woman stood before the children with her hands on her hips, an empowering position when wearing a corset, and spoke to the children with a funny yet powerful tone.

"So my young kidlets, what are we to do now?" the children smiled and returned the position.

"Estella, what do you want to do?" Her voiced boomed as she pointed to the little girl.

"I don't know." She said while laughing.

"Jayden?"

"I don't know, either." The children who weren't exsactly used to playing around with teenagers or adults, aside from when she watched them, became shy yet excited at the same time when asked what they wanted to play.

"There must be something we can do. We could run around the house like monkeys." She said in a kidding tone.

"No" the kids laughed in unison.

"We could all stand on our heads and recited the alphabet backwards."

"No." they chuckled again.

"I could tell you a story."

"yeah!" surprised by their enthusiasm, the babysitter sat down cross legged on the white carpet, her back to the fireplace.

"Do you want to choose a book?" she asked them.

"No, you gotta make one up." Jayden said while joining her on the floor.

"Yeah, one up!" Estella said while flopping down to the ground laughing.

The babysitter took a moment to think up a story, but soon remember a tale from long ago.

"Now, I'm not sure if I made this one up, or just heard it somewhere…" she started.

"that's fine" Jayden said approvingly.

"A long time ago in a not so distant world lived a place where goblins, monsters, and fairies lived. It was a place where if you went left you might just have been going right, and in order to get to the center one must journey towards the outer walls."

"Walls?" Jayden said as if that was the only confusing thing about the story.

"Yes, for you see this place was a labyrinth."

"Lab rinse?" Estella said confused.

"Labyrinth, it's like a maze." The babysitter said while placing Estella on her lap. "In the center of the.. maze… There stood a huge castle."

"Is there a princess in the castle?" Estella asked.

"Or a dragon?" Jayden insisted.

"No princess, no dragon. However there lived a king, the goblin king." The babysitter voice played out 'goblin king' like a person plays out the word 'ghost'.

The children laughed as they pictured how the king must look. As they laughed, something crawled within the walls of the house. As the unaware humans told their story about the goblins, the goblins themselves had entered the house. They all pressed their slimly, furry, or scaly faces against the wall next to the fire place to hear the young woman talk.

"No we mustn't laugh, for he still is the king, after all." The babysitter removed Estella from her lap and stood up, as to be more dramatic.

"Now the goblin king was very lonely. He could see every realm with his crystal balls, but rarely left his own. That is until he saw sweet Sarah. She had read the book labyrinth, and loved the story, little did she know that the book was a gift from the king as a means for her to summon him to her." As she spoke she walked in circles around the children.

The goblins in the walls were becoming antsy as they wanted for the woman to say the words. Though that fact that she knew who Sarah was, gave them a little worry.

"Did she summon him?" Jayden asked while looking up at the woman who towered him.

"She did, by accidently giving away her baby brother."

"oh no!" Estella said genuinely.

"Isn't that a great way to win a woman's heart." The babysitter said sarcastically. "The only way to get her baby brother back, before the goblin King turned him into a goblin was to solve the King's maze and get to the castle within the thirteenth hour."

"Did she?"

"She did. She also made many friends along the way."

"With fairies?" Estella asked hopefully.

"No, she made friends with goblins, and monsters. The fairies just bit her." The woman said while ruffling Estella's mocha colored hair.

"How did she kill the King?" Jayden voice tingled with excitement.

"She didn't, all she had to do was break his heart." The babysitter sighed.

"But isn't he the bad guy?" Jayden said confused why his sitter seem sad.

"There is always another side to a story. Though the King did take way Sarah's brother. Technically he only ever did what she asked of him. Though he used the wrong methods, he like most was selfish and didn't want Sarah to leave him. He loved Sarah and wanted to give her the world, however because he refused to give hers back to her he lost it all."

"That's sad." Estella said.

"Never only look at one point of view, if you do you'll miss the important details." The clock stroke upon the hour and the kids whined.

"Bed time."


	2. Chapter 2

She laid the children down in their bedroom. The room itself was large and had an equal balance of dragons to puppy stickers on the walls. Estella slept on the bottom bunk and Jayden on the top.

"Can you sing us a song?" Jayden asked, "I mean.. Estella can't sleep until dad sings her a song." The babysitter smiled as the little boy tried to come up with his excuse.

"Anything in particular?" she asked while rested a stuffed bunny next to Estella's head. The two just shook their heads. So alike usual when trying to think of a song, nothing came to mind in the children's minds nor the sitter's, so she decided just to sing whatever came to mind. She took in a deep breath and began to sing.

"How you turn my world you precious thing,

You starve and near exhaust me,

Everything I've done, I've done for you,

I move the stars for no one,

You've run so long, you've run so far,

Your eyes can be so cruel,

Just as I can be so cruel,

Though I do believe in you,

Yes I do,

Live without the sunlight,

Love without your heartbeat,

I...I can't live within you"

She kissed Estella's forehead, leaving a little red mark as her lipstick had stuck to her. With the children asleep upstairs, the sitter returned to the living room on the main floor. She laid down on the soft carpet and sang the song once more. The creatures residing in the wall puzzled over the familiar song.

"I should write that down…" she mumbled as she turned her head to face the window. The sky was already so dark, the only lights being the stars themselves. She sat back up and ran her fingers along the steel bones of the corset. Suddenly the dog that was so quiet downstairs started to bark. Scared that he may wake up the kids, she ran downstairs to see the large German Shepard had cornered a barn owl. Surprised that an owl had gotten into the house it took her a moment to process the situation. She took the dog and shut him in the laundry room.

"Quiet down Sal." She said while closing the door. The dog obeyed, as he was a highly trained animal. She then returned to deal with the owl. He was a light brown color and seemed that the dog may have taken a swat to it. The sitter grabbed one of the many towels off the shelf and carefully picked up the creature. Downstairs there was no room that had a window large enough for a bird of this size to fit through. Puzzled, the sitter carried the bird back up the stairs so she could put it back outside. The bird didn't fidget or fight being carried which surprised the woman. That was until they had entered the living room. The bird flapped its wings and escaped the grasp of the sitter, she fell down near the fireplace.

"Come back here." Though her words were directed towards the bird, the owl was no longer in sight. Instead stood a man. A man dressed in cloth that belonged in the nineteenth century. Determined the babysitter stood back up and grabbed the axe from the fireplace and approached the man who was now eyeing her.

"Who are you." The voice that was usually so sweet and kind had dropped and a harsher voice replaced it. The man smiled and gave a small chuckle.

"Why I am the goblin king." The woman raised the axe up and held it with two hands.

"You have three seconds to tell me who you really are." The man just laughed.

"Really, what are you going to do with…" The woman had swung the axe, the blade only half an inch away from the man's neck. Her eyes boiling with anger, it seemed to the man the majority of her actions weren't because of him it was a way for her to release the frustrations that she'd bottled.

"Get out or I will kill you." The man stepped aside and the woman brought the axe back, still holding with both hands.

"Now." The man raised his hand and a glass sphere appeared. It shone a bright light and the sitter had to shield her eyes for a moment. With the command of their king the goblins climbed out from the walls and surrounded the girl.

"Wha.." the girl's stomach turned as she saw all the demonic little creatures storm her. She clutched onto her axe and held it outwards, they all stayed about a foot away from her.

"Get the children." The man said in his monotonous tone.

"But she hasn't said the words." Creaked out one of the slimly creatures. The man picked up the creature by his neck.

"I don't think that matters, do you?" the frighten creature shook his head no, and the man dropped him. Four of the large goblins climbed up the started to climb up the stairs. Scared on what they might do to Jayden and Estella, the sitter threw the axe. It went gliding through the air and sliced off one the legs of the goblins. The noises of goblins who were trying to scare her vanished, and even the man looked surprised at the young woman's actions.

"You listen up you fucking gremlins. You touch a single hair on those kids and I'll personally see to it that all of you bloody ass things die in the most horrid way imaginable, kapish." The woman who was known for her kind nature had made a sudden character flip as the room stood still.

"First off, we're Goblins dear." The man had somehow appeared directly in front of the young woman.

"Then I know how to get rid of you." The girl smiled and the realization that the woman knew the words to be rid of them sunk into the mind of the Goblin King. Quickly used his magic to place a spell over the woman's mouth.

"You have no …. Over me." Although her lips mouthed out the word 'power', the word never was said. She placed her hand over her mouth and tried again, however it resulted in the same.

"You may have known the rules." The king said while spinning three glass spheres in his hands, "But I have changed the game." He threw one of the balls through the window, the girl turned as to protect herself against any shattering glass, however when she opened her eyes the house was gone. She was surrounded by desert and in the distance was the labyrinth from her story.

"I must be dreaming… I fell asleep when I laid down on the carpet, or maybe when I was tucking in Estella…" she said frantically.

"Estella? Is that the girl's name?" the woman turned around to see the Goblin King leaning against the only tree in sight. He was still spinning his crystal orbs. The girl walked up to the demonic man and grabbed him by the collar, pinning him against the tree.

"What did you do to them!" she banged him against the tree for affect.

"That's a lot of power for someone who can't even say the word."

"Don't test me." She said while grinning her foot into his. This surprised both of them for she hadn't remembered putting her boots back on.

"And here I was, so kind as to protect your feet by giving you back your shoes." He mumbled in pain. "Don't worry, both children are in my castle over there." He said while pointing to the center of the maze.

"Take me there." The girl said while releasing his foot.

"That would be no fun then. You have thirteen hours to get the children back before I turn.."

"them into goblins?" her sarcasm had returned. "Sorry bub, but their dad is going to back in five hours, and I don't have time to play your fucked up little games. Give me back my kids."

Frustrated that she wasn't fearing him, the Goblin king placed his hands on her arms, and pushed her off of him.

"You have thirteen hours!" he said as she took a step back. She turned towards the labyrinth and took in a deep breath.

"Say, is that goblin alright?" her voice was quiet and sweet again.

"Why does it matter?" the frustrated Jareth said while folding his arms.

"It matters to me…" the woman said while continuing to stare out.

"he's fine." The monotonous voice said while turning around.

"That's good." For a moment the King looked back to catch a glimpse of the woman looking back at him. She gave a small smile that could have warmed the coldest heart , though her eyes looked as though she was going to eat him. A weird sensation came over the Goblin King as she vanished over a dune.


	3. Chapter 3

For being a desert the place wasn't exceedingly hot. In fact the place almost felt as though it was room temperature. The woman slid down the dune and found herself only a few feet away from the labyrinth. Though when atop the dune, the labyrinth looked like it was at least a twenty minute journey, though once at the bottom it seemed as though it would only take five. She looked over at the small bush that grew out of the mighty wall. As she approached it she noticed a wooden handle sticking out. She extended her long limb and grabbed ahold of the top heavy object. As she unsheathed it from the bush she smiled, for it was the axe. Carefully she slid the wooden handle through one of her belt loops so the head hung at her hip. She traced the side of the wall with her fingers while trying to find the entrance. When she stumbled over something, or as it turned out someone.

"Hey! Watch it!" cried the creature. He was short and stumpy, his face filled with wrinkles. The babysitter quickly freed the axe from her pants and striked a fighting position. "Hold on there." The frighten dwarf cried as he fell to the ground. Shocked by her own actions, the woman placed the axe back and offered a hand. His hand was dirty and warm to the touch.

"You must be Sarah." He said while dusting off.

"No, I'm not." She sassily replied. "I'm May." Her sweet voice returned with a smile to the old dwarf.

"Hoggle." The dwarf said while readjusting himself.

"Hoggle, as in the dwarf with jewels?" she asked remembering the tale.

"You can't have them!" Hoggle placed his hand over a sack that hung from his trousers.

"No worries there, mate." She said while returning her attention to the labyrinth. "Where's the door?"

"You don't want to enter in there, Miss." He said while picking up a can he had dropped earlier.

"No I don't want to... I have to." May placed her face against the wall, the knocked on it.

"Well the door is on the other side, it's best if you just go home now." Hoggle insisted.

"The bricks in this wall they're uneven and stick out." The girl mumbled almost to herself.

"What are you talking about?" Hoggle asked as he watched the girl rest her hands on the wall.

"I can climb this." And with that May put her foot against one of the bricks and started to climb.

"You can't do that!" the little dwarf yelled. However by the time he got close enough to do anything, May was already standing on top of the wall. "You can't leave like that!" he yelled again.

"Sorry Hoggle, but its better this way. I don't think I could trust ya after what you did to Sarah. I'm not that forgiving." The woman then started to walk off, carefully balancing her way over the top of the maze, leaving Hoggle in confusion.

Back within the castle, little Estella and Jayden lay in a shallow pit before the King in his throne.

"My dears, I think they're awaking." Jareth said while uncrossing his legs. The first to awake was Jayden, he sat up and looked around the goblin filled room, in shock. Being a logical thinker, Jayden was quick to assess the situation as a dream and started to roll with it.

"You guys sure are ugly." His blunt comment came as a surprise to most of the goblins.

"You aren't so perfect yourself." Screeched an offending scaly goblin.

"My, my, You are full of life aren't you." The Goblin King said while approaching the pit. "Tell me what do they call you."

"Jayden, but you can call me your worst nightmare! Stupid Goblin King!"

"Really, you a nightmare. Maybe for your parents. But what do you think you can do against me?" The King stated as he squatted down to be at eye level with the child. Overcome with fear, Jayden took a step back.

"Look at him!" yelled a armed goblin.

"Coward!" screeched another.

"May! May will come here and kill you! She wouldn't let us get hurt!" Jayden screamed as loud as he could. For some reason or another, the mere mention of her name gave Jareth a shiver. A part of him wanted to go find her, and the other wanted to hide away from her.

"May wouldn't do that!" Estella had waken up after the goblin King had first approached them. "May likes the Goblin King, remember?" within her tired and disoriented state Estella had spoken a little out of line.

"How would she know about me, let alone 'like' me?" Jareth asked interested on how the little girl knew so much.

"She told us the story."

"Estella, don't!"

"About the King and Sarah." Estella yawned for she was still very tired.

"How does she know about Sarah?!" Jareth was become antsy. No one should be able to remember her, let alone a non-labyrinth civilian.

Estella started to cry when the King became angry. Jayden wrapped his arms around her holding back his own fear. The king stood up and looked over at the goblins who were in the walls before.

"Well?!" he demanded.

"She sounded like she was making it up as she went." Said one.

"No, no. She should have read the book first. You did give her the book right. Right?!"

A tall goblin reached into his back pocket and pulled out a little red book.

"We, didn't have a…"

"Idiots!" The King started to pace in frustration but then stopped. "Then how does she know the story? And more importantly, Sarah?"


	4. Chapter 4

As May walked along the wall she noticed that she would have to soon climb down, otherwise she'd be heading back instead of forward. She felt like she was in an eighties cartoon, the background always repeating itself. She sat down and hung her legs on both sides of the wall, facing the mighty distant castle. She tied up her long hair into a tight bun using the last elastic band that was on her wrist.

"Given up yet?" echoed a familiar voice. Startled by the sound, May lost her balance and fell. Closing her eyes she hopped that it would be one of those falling dreams, and we she opened them she'd be in her bed. Or maybe on the white carpet of the officer's house. However she found herself in the arms of the demon man who stole her children. His smug face looking down on hers.

"Put me down." He temper rising as she spoke. Gently and fluidly he allowed her to stand on her own two feet.

"What came of the sweet caring girl?" he mocked her.

"That particular goblin had done nothing wrong… at that moment… Yet you have. So no bloody ass nice girl for you." She finished her statement by attempting to punch him a few inches above the belt. However he caught her hand and held it in his.

"It's true that I may have broken a few rules, here and there… But honestly there is no need for all this." Noticing the new developments that the King was making, the girl starting thinking of a different kind of approach. The girl took a few steps towards him so that they were only a few inches within each other.

"I completely agree." She said slowly and as seductively as she could. The King reached out and placed his hand on her face, she was cold to the touch. Unlike when he was close to Sarah, the Goblin King didn't feel like he need to protect her. She may be naïve on many aspects of the Underground, but she had a will that he couldn't ignore.

"I can give you the whole world." Jareth expressed as he moved his face closer to hers.

"I want my children back." Her eyes went icy, and fear rang through the Goblin King. He shot back her look at her. From an onlooker prospective it would be hard to tell if the two were enemies or lovers, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Now you know I can't do that." The King rested his forehead on hers, their eyes never breaking contact.

From behind a nearby wall, the old goblin stopped his extermination of the fairies as he overheard the conversation.

"Bring me to your castle then." May placed her hand on his lower back and brought their two bodies together.

"Still I can't do that…" He said getting heavy of breath.

"Then die." Her seductive words were accompanied by her one arm holding close so that he could move and the other slamming the axe into his side. He grabbed her neck and squeezed, May quickly let go of the axe and him and started to pry him off of her. He threw the gothic woman to the ground and slowly removed the axe from his side. He then threw the axe over the walls heading towards the outside of the labyrinth. Hoggle moved quickly out of the way as the large axe came crashing down beside him. The King held his hand towards the sky and his crystals appeared in his hand. The frighten yet determined May watched as he used his magic to mend his broken skin. She watched as the infected blood rushed out and the skin seemed to melt and regenerate around the area.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with." He said while walking over to her. He towered over her, May too frighten to move let alone stand. He reached down and took her hand, bring her close to him. One hand on her back the other was hand in hand. "Now tell me how you know about my past. How you know the labyrinth, and how you know about Sarah."

"I.. I don't know, how I know, I just know what I know cause I thought that I knew!" she said trying to regain the fear that she over him.

"A little less vague, if you may."

"I was making it all up as I went. This is a dream, I can't explain it." The king smiled

"Oh, my dear… This isn't a dream, it's a nightmare."


	5. Chapter 5

Nightmare or not, May was re-catching her breath as the powerful Goblin King loomed over her. He released her, and she fell to her feet.

"You have ten hours left my dear." He said while facing away from her. "Oh , and no more of this cheating by walking on the walls." He looked over his shoulder at her then threw one of his crystals at the wall.

"What? How is using logic cheating?!"

"Now every time you try to climb a wall the wall will just continue going up." He gave her a smug smile to which she returned a crude hand gesture while sticking out her tongue.

"I can still win. You can fucking bet on that." May watched as he turned back into the owl and flew away. "Damn, if he weren't such a fucking asshole he'd be sexy as fuck…" she mumbled while dusting herself off.

"You can't win, it be best if you went back." Came a voice from behind. May turned around half excepting Jareth's return. But was gladly surprised when she saw the old dwarf.

"Hoggle, you found me, and so quickly too." May said in her kinder tone. Hoggle looked away from the woman for a moment trying to remember why he even bothered to find her.

"Jareth always wins, there's no point in hurting yourself."

"He lost to Sarah." May said trying to win the conversation.

"Sarah?" the dwarf said confused.

"Remember, you asked me if I was her when we first met."

"No Sarah has ever come here."

"Why don't you remember? She was your first friend, Hoggle." May looked down at the dwarf's wrists, "See." She grabbed his hand and pointed to the bracelet. "She gave you this plastic do-dad, as a sign of friendship, also so you'd help her, but mostly friendship."

The dwarf looked at the bracelet on his wrist then back at May.

"I don't remember how I got this thing." May thought for a moment then reached into her jeans and pulled out a gold ring.

"Then lets trade, Your bracelet for my ring." She held it out so the sunlight would make it shimmer. The dwarf's eyes grew large. He placed his hand over the bracelet to remove it, however tears grew in his big eyes.

"I don't wanna." He said desperately.

"That's why! That bracelet is worth more to you than all the gems in the world. That was who Sarah was to you. Jareth must have put you under a forgetting spell. Alike how he used the peach on Sarah." May spoke half to Hoggle and half to herself.

"And she was my friend?"

"Yes. Now I must be off I only have ten hours to rescue my kids and decapitate the king." Her smile set forth her seriousness.

"I… I want to help. I want to remember my friend." Hoggle said unsure at first, but built up his confidence.

"You can come, but don't expect me to eat anything you give me."

As they started to walk, Hoggle looked up at the woman. She could act and look terrifying when she wanted to, but in this lighting she looked so pure and innocent to the world.

"You won't actually kill him, will you?" Hoggle asked.

"If he so much as cuts a hair off of those kids, I will kill him and anyone who gets in my way."

The Castle was large and dark. Estella and Jayden had climbed their way out of the pit after Jareth had left. Without the King around the goblins didn't seem so bad to the children. In fact they were actually a lot of fun. Jayden and a large group of furry goblin's were playing tag, and Estella was having her hair braided by the newly one legged goblin.

"She wouldn't have done that if she knew you." Estella said while turning her head to the goblin braiding her hair.

The goblin just sighed not knowing what to say.

"She just…" Estella looked down. May was always so nice, it was hard to imagine her being so cruel.

"Estella! You wanna play?" Her brother yelled from across the room. The little girl looked over at the one legged goblin to see if he'd be okay without her.

"Go, play." He screeched happily. Estella smiled and started to run over to her brother, when she got knocked down by someone's legs. She hit the floor fairly hard and tears welled in her eyes.

"No need to cry, young one." Jareth said while extending his hand to help her. The little girl took it with little regard to her brother's warnings. She smiled as she noticed that he really didn't mean her any harm.

"You really are like what May said." She said cheerfully, still holding onto the King's gloved hand. Jareth eye twitched a little when he heard this.

"And what would that be?" he said sweetly while walking Estella towards the throne.

"That you are selfish, and use wrong methods." Estella said while pulling herself onto the seat. The king looked at the pint sized human wondering whereabouts she was going with this. "But you only did that because you loved her. And that you'd never really hurt her." The amount of innocence that the child possessed was almost enough to make you sick.

"He didn't love anyone!" yelled Jayden from across the room. He'd been so quiet the King almost forgot about him.

"Who didn't?" Jareth asked, the two children getting on his nerves.

"You stole her brother!"

"I didn't steal anyone's brother."

"You stole my brother." Piped the little girl sitting upside down on the throne.

"Well, he's the only one I stole." The king trying to keep his calm state starting to walk towards the exit.

"Get used to it here, children. You won't be leaving anytime soon."

Jareth had made his way towards his chambers and was staring out the large window. He picked up one of the crystals and found himself staring at the gothic babysitter. She wasn't anything like Sarah. Sure they both had tempers and a one track mind. But May seemed much more determined to get back the annoying brats that were currently messing up his throne room. But then again May never asked for them to be taken in the first place. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. How in the world could she walk on the uneven ground in those boots? At least she didn't have that axe anymore. The king gripped his side. He had let Sarah and Toby get away from him once, he wasn't going to let some young vixen like her take away his second chance. A loud crash came from the throne room.

"It wasn't me." The King could hear the young boy's voice echo throughout his castle.

"These kids are going to be a lot harder to handle than their father was."


	6. Chapter 6

The strange dwarf and human duo walked through what seemed like an endless path.

"Are we just going in circles?" May asked while running her fingers through her bangs.

"I wouldn't be surprised… Say what was my friend like?" Hoggle said trying to find out as much as he could about Sarah.

The gothic woman turned her gaze towards the castle, taking note that there was no obvious path leading that way.

"Sarah? She was selfish and stubborn, a child." Hoggle looked down at the bracelet, not wanting to believe the words that were coming from his new companion. "But she was a loyal friend and a forgiving person to everyone but Jareth."

The dwarf smiled a little imagining what his friend was like, though it faded at the thought that the King had taken that precious memory from him. May traced her fingers against the rough the walls and found a hidden edge.

"I hate optical illusions." She said while walking through. The two now stood in front of two guarded doors. Both guards where indeed four, seeing as one head was placed atop of the shield and another at the bottom. One guarded with red and the other in blue.

"You guys are the liars right?" May said while pointing to them.

"Liars?" the heavy accent of the bottom blue made the corrupt word almost beautiful.

"It is true that one of us always lies…."

"And other always tells the truth."

Hoggle growing impatient opened his mouth.

"Do any of these doors lead to the castle?"

"Yes."

"No."

May looked over to the frustrated Hoggle, then back at the doors.

"I know that the blue door leads to me being thrown down a long pit of hands. But the real question is where your door leads." She got close to the Red Guard.

"Only one question can be asked." He said promptly after taking to his other head.

"Now if the story plays out you should be the one who tells the truth, unless you both are liars and there is no real path to the castle. But then Hoggle's question wouldn't have been answered. So there is a path to castle but what is the path and how long. Though it takes a while Sarah did make it to the castle by taking his path, and your path might just lead me into a pit of fire or walls that slowly crush you, in that case his path would be the path to the castle and yours would be the path of doom. However your path might be a straight road leading to the castle and it was just luck that Sarah got there using his path." May took in a deep breath.

"Did you follow that?" the Red Guard asked the Blue.

"Not entirely."

May shrugged her shoulders. "Better safe than sorry. Come on Hoggle, we're going down into a pit." She smiled over at him. It was weird to him to see the aggressive girl smile.

"Don't you want to ask your question?"

"Nah, have a good one." The woman waved as she opened the door guarded by the blue guard. She walked pass the threshold and dropped.

"May!" Hoggle cried as he peered down the dark tunnel, but alas he couldn't see anything.

May felt the mixture of both cold and warm hands grab her body, and she screamed for the first time in a long time the girl screamed. It was long and high of pitch and could be heard even at the castle.

Jareth who had somehow became a horse for Estella to play on, felt a shiver as he heard the faint sound. He placed the little girl down on the ground and looked over at his army of goblins. The children who had become quite comfortable with the unusual circumstance continued to play their games, while four goblins followed their king out of the room. Jareth looked into his crystal and saw the motionless young woman lying on the floor of the pit.

"She's in the oubliette." The goblins cheered at the news, but their king wasn't so happy.

"She should have never made it this far." Jareth stopped walking for a moment as he experienced his deja-vu.

"She doesn't seem to be moving much." Inquired one of the goblins.

"I don't think the hands caught her at all."

"Now she defiantly won't make it any further."

"No more game, if there isn't a player. We've won by default."

"We've won?" Jareth's voice carrying a malice tone.

"You've won…"

"I refuse to win by… default."

May's head was spinning and she could hardly move.

"Damn, those fucking things were supposed to catch me and ask where I wanted to go. Not just feel me up then drop me." She said struggling to sit up.

"If you wanted down here, there was a less painful way of getting here." From the shadows echoed Hoggle's voice. He lit a large candle and light filled the oubliette.

May slowly made her way to her feet. She dusted herself off, and walked towards the dwarf.

"You know, I know a way out of here. We can just leave the labyrinth now and forget any of this happened." Hoggle said while examining the bruises on May.

"Oh, no. I'm going to that castle!" Hoggle sighed and rummaged through the pile of various objects. He laid a door against the wall and opened it revealing at first a broom closet.

"Sorry about that, I can't always be right." May rolled her eyes, the repetitiveness of the story was starting to get on her nerves. When she spotted something shimmering in the closet.

"Hold up Hoggle." May reached into the closet and pulled out the axe. "Oh boy, I missed you."

Hoggle then proceeded and opened the door to reveal an alternative path.


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you really need that?" the dwarf asked pointing to the young woman's axe.

"It's better off that I do. I don't think I can hold my own without it." May moved away the hair in her eye. She looked down at her hand to see it coated in blood. She rubbed her nose and felt the pain surge through. She had broken it and it was bleed heavily.

"Don't go on." May turned to see a giant face made of rock.

"Go back while you still can." Another rock boomed.

"This is not the way!"

"Head me and go no further!"

"Beware, beware…"

The two ignored the warning calls of the old rocks and continued their path.

"He's trying to change the story…" May mumbled as Hoggle lead them into another path.

"what was that?" Hoggle asked as he didn't hear her.

"Nothing important…" She said while placing the axe through her belt loop.

"Soon it will be too late!" echoed another giant rock.

"Pay no attention to them." Hoggle said attempting to lighten the dark aura that surrounded the young woman. "They only bother you when you're on the right track."

"Beware the path you take will lead to your destruction."

As Hoggle walked a crystal ball rolled between his legs and gently knocked into the pail of an old beggar.

"Hoggle." May whispered into his ear while placing her hand on his shoulder. "We must avoid him…"

"No need to be so afraid of creatures like him, he's just like you or me." Hoggle went to move closer to the beggar when May through the axe, embedding itself in the wall above the beggar's head.

"My, my, my, what do we have here?" the beggar said as if the axe never existed.

"N-nothing." Hoggle stammered as he connecting the dots.

"Nothing?" the beggar whispered, "Nothing?!" he removed his disguise and revealed himself as Jareth.

"Your Majesty, what a-a nice… surprise." Hoggle said while slowly backing away.

"Hello Haggle." The king returned.

"His name is Hoggle, and you know it. Aren't you tired of all this repetition?" May said while placing her hand on her hip and her on her shoulder. Jareth looked at the beaten girl, bruises on her arms and chest, blood pouring down her face, and yet she still could give him that cocky little smile of hers.

"Huggle, are you helping this girl?" He spoke as if he had ignored her.

"in what sense…" Hoggle said trying to regain face in the eye of his King.

"In the sense that you are leading her to the castle!" Jareth growing impatient got louder with each word.

"No, I was taking her back to the beginning, your majesty.." Jareth turned to see how May would react, however to his disapproval she just stood there as if that was what she wanted him to say. Or more so how she expected his answer to be. "I just told her that I would…"

"If you betray me I will be forced to send you head first into the bog of Eternal Stench."

"Please, sir don't send me there!" Hoggle graveled at the feet of the powerful king. Jareth kicked him aside allowing him to beg at a distance and turned over to May. She looked at him with her emerald eyes and seemed as though she was staring through him. Her bloody hair was still done up ever so messily with the weak elastic band. Only after a second of noticing the woman's hair the elastic band broke and snapped his hand. If he didn't know any better he would have claimed that she did it on purpose. As the band snapped the king, May smiled a genuine smile that was accompanied by a small laugh. Such a sweet sound coming from such a bitter looking person gave the other two a small jolt.

"So how are you enjoying my labyrinth?" Jareth pinned her against wall.

"It's just like you said…" Her sweet voice carried on through her words. She lifted her hands and placed them around his neck, the way the lovers tend to do. She pulled herself off of the wall and close to Jareth. Her face rubbed up against his and whispered in his ear, "It's a fucking nightmare." She moved quickly and turned while the king's guard was down so that it was him pinned against the brick wall.

"But that doesn't mean that I plan on losing though." She turned quickly to remove the axe from the wall, however it was gone.

"Looking for this?" Turning her attention back to Jareth she saw the King spinning the heavy axe like a baton.

"Give it." The king smiled at the desperate girl.

"Gladly." Though this was technically what she wanted May couldn't help but stand frozen as the sharp object hurdled towards her. Her eyes watered as it got closer so she closed them to not give the ignorant bastard the satisfaction, however when she opened them the axe was gone and a harmless scarf had replaced it.

"Did you honestly think, I would kill you like that?" Jareth's stamina returned as he found that she could fear him. "Though it would be fitting since you tried the same fate on me." The dwarf who had been silent for a lengthy amount of time finally opened his mouth.

"You really tried to kill him?" he looked at May like she had betrayed him.

"You were there!" May scream. Why was it that Hoggle was forgetting things that happened only hours before.

"I was not."

"You were close by at the very least. Anyways I told you that I would kill him if he hurt my kids."

Oh right the kids, Jareth thought as he was being ignored. Those two were most likely destroying his castle by now. Wait I'm being ignored by her so that she can conversate with a dwarf?!

"Silence! You think you can win without that axe of yours?" Jareth moved closer and closer to May, with every step he took forward, May took one back till she was up against a gate. She looked over at the frighten dwarf then back at Jareth.

"You're changing the story!"

"And what if I am?" He placed one hand on the gate behind her.

"Its… Its not fair!"

"Who said I play fair?" He put his other hand on the other side of her.

Feeling trapped May did the first thing that came to mind. It was raw and it might complicate future confrontations with him, but it was line that she needed to cross in order to stand a chance. She reached out and grabbed the sides of the King's head and forcibly placed her lips on his. The cold girl felt warm to the king as her tongue entered his mouth. Her plan had worked, Jareth was stunned by her action. May slowly released him and freed herself from her entrapped situation.

"Consider that your kiss of death." She yelled as she broke down the weak wall that the ladder hide behind.

"Come on Heggle!"

"It's Hoggle!" the dwarf cried as he followed the rash girl out of the oubliette.

The Goblin King stood paralyzed still trying to compute on what had just happened. He glanced over at where she had escaped and bit his lip. The taste of her blood mixed with watermelon flavored lipstick lingered on his tongue.

"And she's says, I'm changing the story."


	8. Chapter 8

Desperate and little scared that Jareth may be following her, May climbed the ladder at an intense pace. By the time they had reached the top she realized that the king had stopped pursuing her for the time being. The exit of the ladder was through a large brownish vase. May swung one leg out and nearly fell to the ground. It had taken a while but the impact of falling down into the oubliette was catching up with her. Carefully she touched the ground and examined herself. From what she could make of it she had five bruises on her arms and one on her chest. Her nose had stopped bleeding though it was still sensitive, she most likely expected that she had cut her knee upon impact for there was a damp bloody patch on her jeans. She looked back over at the vase to see Hoggle emerging from it.

"Ain't you a vision of beauty." He scoffed.

"Yeah, yeah" May returned while batting her hand. They seemed to still be in the labyrinth, surrounded by a mixture of hedges and brick walls.

"May, This is where I leave you."

She turned around to see the dwarf looking down. "I'm a coward, and I can't help you anyways."

"Hoggle." Fear swept over the young woman. She had allowed Hoggle to befriend her, and now she was paying for it. The sound of clanging interrupted their farewell, an old man with a chicken(?) head hat walked passed them.

"My, my young lady how the labyrinth has treated you." The old man said with concern.

"Yeah, you look dreadful." Mocked the hat. May smiled kindly to the man and gave the evil eye to the bird.

"And who are you?" the old man asked.

"I am May, and this is my friend Hoggle." She placed her hand on the dwarf's shoulder. He looked up at May her words echoing in his mind.

"And what might May and Hoggle be looking for?"

"A route to the castle, at least…" May looked over at Hoggle then back at the old man, "I am."

"Sometimes, the only way forward is the way back." The old man said while walking towards a cement throne.

"The way back, huh.." Though her breath was wasted for the old man had fallen asleep.

"Please put your contribution in the little box." The bird explained while clinking the box against the side of the chair. May reached to her pocket and felt the outline of the golden ring, then changed her mind. She grabbed one of the three silver decorative chains that hanged from the side of her corset and yanked it off. Hoggle looked at her with confusion. She dropped the chain into the poultry's box.

"Whatcha do that for?" Hoggle asked as they started to walk away.

"I'll never get the blood out of this corset anyways." May pulled out the golden ring and smiled at it, then placed it back into her pocket.

"Did you mean it?" Hoggle mumbled under his breathe.

"Mean what?" She replied while moving the hair away from her eyes.

"About me being your friend?"

"You are. It's weird, and it's not really a normal friendship. But we are friends. Wouldn't you say so." That sweet voice that came and went had returned and it filled Hoggle with joy.

"Yeah, I guess we…" he was cut off by a devilish growl.

"You're on your own!" and with that the little coward disappeared through the hedge walls.

"Good luck, friend." May whispered as he ran away.

The castle was all a buzz, the children grew more and more goblin like with each passing minute. Jayden had dominated over a small group of weaker goblins and was playing "King". While Estella appealed to the understanding of the goblins. She liked being in the castle, it was like she could express herself better here then back home. But what was home? The more time the children played goblin, they had started to forget about their real lives. Jareth had returned to his castle, and Jayden had quickly changed his game of "King" to a game of "Prince". The Goblin King stood in front of his guard her redness still smeared across his lips.

"Your Majesty!" a clumsy stick-like goblin came shuffling over to Jareth's side.

"What?"

"Are you injured?" the goblin said being distracted by the red on the King's face.

"Of course not! You think the likes of her will get the best of me?!" The king said while grabbing the stick goblin's throat.

"No! no. You will most definitely conquer her…"the goblin was running out of air. Jareth let go as the second meaning of conquer ran through his mind.

"So what is this news, you oaf?!" The King mocked.

"The children are forgetting at a steady pace, the peaches you feed them before you left are taking affect."

"Good, carry on then." Jareth still not completely in the right mind walked out onto his balcony overlooking his mighty labyrinth. He had never known the existence of May before, she just happened to be there when he decided to take the baby's babes. She had no connection to those children, and yet she only ever referred to them as her own. The idea of a family without mutual blood was something the Goblin King could never fathom let alone understand. He looked into one of his crystals to take another glance at the mysterious woman. She stood before a great and mighty beast with several new fresh cuts on her already bruised skin. She placed her hand out to the suspended beast and slowly dropped him to the ground. The beast looked her over and mumbled out "friend."

How different she was from Sarah and yet so similar.


	9. Chapter 9

The great gentle beast stood before May as she had just released him from his trap. The orange creature had called her his friend and for whatever reason May found comfort in his words.

"That's right, I'm May. And I take it that you're Ludo, right?" Her sweet words were accompanied by her stroking his fur.

"May, Friend." Ludo growled out. He looked at her noticing her wounds. "Friend hurt? Friend hurt!" he yelled in panic. May surprised by his outcry attempted to calm him down.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt, really." Her lie gave him reassurance while giving May the feeling of guilt.

May started to walk again and Ludo followed closely behind. They were walking for a while but stopped as she heard the sound of running water.

"He's changing the story again…" May muttered as the two approached a large fountain, that seemed to come out of nowhere. The fountain was circular and had engravings of different kinds of goblins along the rim. In the center was a life-sized stature of Jareth, King of the Goblins. At the bottom of his feet water splashed out and would drop about seven feet into the deep fountain. May stuck her hand into the water and drank a small amount, it tasted clean. She splashed her face and scrubbed away the blood and dirt. Soon her face was clean again nothing but a thin line of eyeliner remained. She smiled at Ludo and he returned the smile. The beast then climbed into the fountain and splashed May on his way in.

"Hey…" she said playfully while the beast swam around. "That's not a bad idea." She unbuckled the four latches in the front of her corset revealing her pale stomach and black pushup bra. She set the heavy piece of cloth next to the fountain. She then quickly unlaced her boots and shimmied out of her tight jeans. The girl then dove into the deep water. The water itself must have had some kind of curse on it, for all of her scars and bruises healed as it touched her. Her hair untangled and her feet weren't as sore.

May made her way so that she stood under the falling water, the Goblin King statue looked as though it was staring at her. She looked over to the happy Ludo who splashed around carelessly, then back at the statue. They clay eye's gave her a shiver up her spine.

"Come on Ludo, we don't have much time to spare." The wet beast flopped out of the fountain which caused the wall to crumble. May along with the water within the large container came flooding out at a fast past. She sat beside the beast who was shaking off the excess water on his fur. She looked over at her clothes, that were now soaked.

"Well isn't that great…" She said while standing up. Ludo looked over at her with an apologetic look. "It's okay Ludo, I'll just… Hmmm…" She looked back over at the smug King's statue. "Great." She mumbled sarcastically.

May picked up the wet denim and tore it, so that they were now shorts. She pulled them on with some difficulty. She then proceeded to put on the gold ring that was in her pocket. She picked up the heavy dripping boots and sighed. Ludo walked over to her not exactly knowing what she was doing.

"Well I guess there's no way a…" her voice was cut off by the sound of whistling. The two friends gazed in the direction of the sound. The walls of labyrinth that surrounded the fountain were now made of hedges, though when May and Ludo first came here it was made of brick.

The song rang through, it sounded familiar. Soon May found herself singing along, it was the same song that she had sang to the children earlier. The whistling stopped, but May continued for an extra bar. The two peered around the corner to see three goblins hanging laundry on a clothes line. They looked at May and Ludo with great fascination. The feathered one was the first to speak, his voice was small and sweet and sounded like a young child.

"Hello."

May smiled and returned his pleasantry. The roundish one waddled over and rubbed his hand against Ludo's fur.

"What is he?" her heavy lisp made it hard to understand her.

"He's my friend." May said not knowing exsactly what kind of creature Ludo was. Ludo grinned and echoed the word "friend."

The last one continued to do his work, his long fingers made folding look easy. The featherd one looked at his friends then at May,

"She looks like Jareth." He whispered. All the goblins now stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

"It's true she does look like him." The lisped one waddled over to May.

"I look nothing like him." May said in protest.

"She acts more like Max to me." The silent goblin now spoke up. "And she looks more like Sarah."

"Who's Max?" May asked crossing her arms over her exposed body.

"He's our brother, or at least he was…" the long fingered goblin sighed.

"What are you talking about, Renn?" the feathered one said.

"We're your only siblings." The round one chimed in.

"No, we had an older brother. He tried to save us, but he couldn't get to the castle in time…" May's eyes grew larger.

"Crap, I don't have much time left!" May looked at the clothes line to see a men's dress shirt. She placed her hand on it.

"Hey! That's the King's!" the lisped one yelled. May took it and put it on, it was a little long but it wasn't too bad.

"We could get in big trouble if you take that!" the feathered one was on the verge of tears.

"Just tell the King that a girl named May took it. If he has a problem then I will deal with it."


	10. Chapter 10

Fed up with the labyrinth's nonsense, May buttoned up the king's shirt. She stared the three goblins down, and left with a small inkling of guilt. She could still see her bra through the white material, but was better than nothing. Ludo continued to follow behind her though he wasn't as happy then when they first met.

"Sorry Ludo, I just… I can't let anything happen to those kids." She looked over her shoulder as to face him as she spoke. However she didn't turn her attention back in time, for she crashed into a large wooden door.

"Okay.. That wasn't here a second ago…" She mumbled while returning her focus. Ludo sauntered over to make sure she was alright.

"ITS VERY RUDE TO STARE!"

Startled by the loud greeting May involuntarily grabbed onto Ludo. She then let go as she saw it was a gargoyle-esque brass knocker speaking.

"My apologies…"

"WHAT?"

"I said that I'm…"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Itz nom goo as ki im." May turned her attention to the other door, that seemed to appear out of thin air. This knocker had the ring in his mouth and the other one in his ears.

"ITS RUDE TO SPEAK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL!"

"E don ave ma outh ill"

Tired of watching the doors babel on, May yanked the ring out of the knocker's mouth.

"Geez, thanks. It feels good to get that thing out."

"No problem." May said while handing the ring of to Ludo.

"WHATCHA SAYING?"

"Ignore him." The knocker chuckled.

"All I have to do is knock and the door opens, right." May said while placing her palm on the wooden frame.

"That's right, knock and the door shall open." The happy knocker laughed.

"KNOCK AND THE DOOR SHALL OPEN!"

"I already said that."

"no good, I can't hear you."

May looked over at Ludo who was playing around with the ring. He looked down at the ring then handed it back to her.

"I don't want that thing back!"

"Oh, look at that, can't blame him though." The other knocker chimed in.

"Will it still work if I just bang it against the door?" May asked. The two knockers shifted their eyes around.

"maybe?" the ringless one said.

May slammed the ring against the door and it flew open.

"Hey would you look at that." She said triumphantly. She took Ludo's hand and placed the ring on it. A makeshift bracelet for the mighty beast. " A memento." She said cheerily.

"friend." Ludo grinned back.

"WHAT?"

"I'm going, I'm going.." May lead the beast through the door and into what seemed like a forest.

"Ludo scared." He grumbled. May looked over at the trembling monster.

"Just stay close to me, till I figure out where we are in the story." The longer May was trapped inside the labyrinth the harder it was in trying to remember how the tale went. She turned her back on Ludo for just a second and he vanished without a trace.

"Ludo?!"

The young woman looked all around the dark woodland but couldn't find her friend. Then springing out of nowhere came the pack of brightly coloured fireys. A flash of terror washed over May as they circled around her. This part of the story was always the most horrifying. And now with Jareth changing the story, usually in the ways that she gets the short end of stick, The idea of these things pulling off her head made her want to cry.

"I'm not interested in playing." She said trying to uphold her stature. The fireys looked at one another and laughed.

"Everyone always wants to play, though." One said still laughing.

"Come now, it'll be fun." Another said.

"No thank you. My body parts stay where they are." She started to walk away, but their dance number herded her into the center of the twisted game.

"Now you take off your head." One chubby firey said while placing his fingers around her neck.

"Get off! I said stop!" May said while pulling the fireys off. She started to make a dash for it calling out anyone who could help her.

"Ludo!"

"Hoggle!"

"Old Man?!"

She was becoming desperate as the fireys were gaining on her.

"Jareth!" the fireys stopped in the path, one tumbling over onto another as they heard the name being called out. May was leaning up against a cliff and standing in front of her was the Goblin King himself, his back to her and his face to the fireys.

"You all have three seconds to vacate, or be dropped into the Bog of Eternal Stench." The fireys scampered off into the woods. May just leaned against the sharp rocks, regretting calling out his name. Out of everyone why on earth did she ask him for help. He is evil she is fighting against, isn't he?

Jareth turned to face the girl. He had one this battle and now he would make her squirm for once. However when he gazed at the young woman, she didn't have that sarcastic look. Or even that stupid little smirk, she just stood there catching her breath, looking as though she had accepted her defeat. He was angry and happy at the same time to see that expression on her face. He wanted to say something that would bring up that woman who was angry to see his face, but at the same time he wanted to continue staring at the woman who looked grateful to him.

The tension was cut as a rope fell from above, the little dwarf at the other end. He looked at her eyes once more, they didn't seem like they were going to eat him, a fuzzy sensation swept over him.

"thank you…" her sweet voice whispered. But as the words escaped her mouth her eyes grew hungry for his blood once more. The moment couldn't last forever, and if he wanted his plan to blossom she would have to go with the dwarf.

"I only saved you, for I didn't want one of my forests stained with human blood."


	11. Chapter 11

May struggled to make it to the top of the cliff, and was happy to see Hoggle waiting on her. She wrapped her arms around him, then looked down to see that Jareth had disappeared once more.

"Hoggle, you came back." Her voice was sweet and kind.

"Well.. uh…"

May hugged the dwarf for a second time and placed her lips to his forehead and smiled.

"I wish you hadn't done that." The dwarf said with a twinge of remorse. Suddenly the ground beneath them opened and the two were sent spiraling down.

"Why you do that?!"

"Do what?!" they screamed as they fell. When they resurfaced to the outside world an awful odor had taken over the air. The two were dangled off the edge of a ledge, Hoggle holding into an overgrown root and May clinging to the edge for dear life. The bog below them gurgled.

"This is your fault!" Hoggle said frustrated.

"How is this, my fault! If it's anyone's it be Jareth and his trap doors."

"You kissed me."

May closed her eyes as she attempted to remember the story, did Sarah end up in this situation too? But alas she couldn't remember anything after the fireys.

The young woman started to slowly "side step" her arms till she was over the small portion of dry land. She dropped and crashed into someone on her way down. Ludo had appeared out of nowhere.

"Careful!" Hoggle yelled over.

"Ludo? I thought I'd never see you again." May gave the monster a friendly hug. All the kindness that May was producing was starting to creep Hoggle out.

"Uh, May?!" Hoggle screamed as his root lowered a tiny bit.

"Right." The young woman, assisted by Ludo, climbed on top of the edge and was able to reach Hoggle.

"Just grab my hand." She called down to him. By the time that May and Hoggle made their way back to the ground away from the threat of the bog, Ludo had spotted a bridge.

"Why was Jareth with you at the bottom?" Hoggle asked as the three made their way towards the stone bridge.

"I don't know." May said in her sweet yet sad tone.

"You do to!" The dwarf said frustrated.

"He was there because… because… because I asked him to help me! Are you happy now?!" May's harsh and cold voice had returned and gave Hoggle a weird sense of relief.

"You get along with Jareth? I thought the whole point of ya being here was to…" the dwarf was cut off.

"Stop, stop I say!" a small fox-like creature in cloth jumped in front of the travelers blocking their path. Still agitated May bent down to be eye level with the guardian of the bridge.

"May we please cross." She said while her sweetness started to fade.

"None shall cross without my permission." Sir Didymus said proudly. May stood back up and noticed that the bridge over the bog was nonexistent. She peered around the bend to see a line of bolders resting in the bog, creating a clear path.

"Okay then, we'll just go down that way."

"smell bad." Ludo said while starting to follow May down to the bolder pathway.

"Hold on, there." Sir Didymus said in confusion, "When did this show up?"

"Probably when Sarah was here." May mumbled as she took the first step.

"Well a real gentleman would never allow a lady to go on such a dangerous path alone." The fox said as to justify leaving his post at the bridge, "Come now Ambrosius, let us accompany."

"First of, I'm not in need of any assistance in the danger department." May said as she jumped off the last bolder and onto the tall grass.

"You can say that again…" Hoggle muttered as he took the young woman's hand and stepped safely onto land. Ludo followed him and Sir Didymus followed after that. The group walked for a long time, all of them growing tired and hungry.

"Ludo, hungry."

"I know, we can look around and see if we can find you something to eat, okay." May looped her arm around the mighty beast's to comfort him.

"Look young mistress, a peach tree." The dog riding fox pointed over to a large twisted tree. Hoggle for one reason or another seemed uneasy yet determined to be the one to pick the fruits. He handed one to each traveler. Ludo inhaled his and Sir Didymus split his with Ambrosius. The three of them walked ahead so that Hoggle could talk to May.

"Here you are." Hoggle said while giving a peach to the young woman.

"Thanks, I'm sorry about everything. You really are a good friend." And with her famous last words May bit into Jareth's peach.

"I'm sorry." Hoggle wailed as he ran off.

May awoke sitting on top of a toilet seat cover in a public bathroom stall. She staggered to her feet and lost her balance for a moment. She was wearing silver six inch heels that showed off her black painted toes. She opened the stall to see herself in the mirror. Her hair was done up in a bun with a braid crown. Her makeup was smokey and light. She was wearing a light purple corset and a matching pencil skirt. Her choker was diamond studded, and her earrings dangled so low that they touched her shoulders when she titled her head.

"What the…" she mumbled while examining herself.

Music leaked into the room as a woman in a lion mask entered the room. May snuck past her and walked into a huge club. Neon lights flashed, lasers chased along the walls, and on a large platform played a live band. It was hard to determine what genre they were playing but the beat was almost hypnotic. Alike the lion woman, everyone was wearing an animal mask.

Dazed and confused on how she got there, May attempted to make her way to the exit when a man in a bulldog mask stopped her. He stood at eye level with her, the mask only covered his eyes and a small part of his upper face. He wore a black tank top with some band's logo in the centre, and a red flannel over that. His jeans were a little baggy and where being held up with a huge leather belt. He smiled at her and extended his hand. Though May couldn't see who it was she knew that she knew him. As they danced he kept glancing over at her hand with the golden ring. He smiled again and pulled her closer. She could now see his dark brown eyes, and a wave of sadness washed over her. She push him away and started to bolt. However no matter which way she turned she couldn't find the exit.

As she was running past all the party animals, she crashed into the only person who wasn't in a mask.

"My, my. Are you alright?" a slow and sly voice asked. She raised her head to see a blonde man wearing steampunk clothing. He wore a puffy white shirt with a black vest with golden chains over it, as well as a top hat with various gears.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said regaining herself. The steampunk king took her hand in his as they begun to dance. The room seemed to be still as the two swayed back and forth across the dance floor.

"I'm May…" The young woman said as he spun her out. "What's yours?" she asked as he spun her back.

"Now, wouldn't that take away the mystery?"

The room fell and restructured itself as the two danced. The walls and lights became glass, and the people's clothing morphed into ball gowns and suits. Only May and the King stayed the way they were. The song seemed to last a life time, everyone swayed in and out of each other in perfect timing, with Jareth and May in the middle of it all. Then with little warning the king slipped into the crowd. The young woman wanted to chase after him but couldn't get her feet to move. She looked down to see a tow children clinging her legs; little girl in a mouse mask and a little boy in a tiger one.

"Let go, I need to go." May said kindly to the children. They just looked at her blankly.

"I said, let go." She said a little louder while shaking her legs, the kids held on tighter.

"Hey you!" May was now trying to pry the children off of her, however they didn't budge.

"Estella! Jayden! You have until the count of…" May looked down realizing what was happening. This time she went down to hug the kids but they ran away from her laughing.

"Wait! Come back!" She ran after them ignoring the king who was trying to catch her attention. The clock stroked loudly in the glass sphere to which she was imprisoned.

The crowd seemed to be growing and May couldn't find the children. She looked over at the clock to see she only had two hours left.

'You don't have to leave." May turned to see the place empty, expect for the clock, a single chair, and the Goblin King still wearing his steampunk suit.

"Do you still have my kids?" May asked, her anger returning.

"They can be happy here. They are happy here. And so can you." The king approached her showing her in his crystal ball.

May peered inside the sphere to see Estella playing around laughing with the goblins, and Jayden in command of his own troop of mystical creatures. The children looked as though they were having the time of their lives.

"I don't care if they are happy here." She said while taking a step back. Jareth stared at her in confusion. "Their father will be miserable without them. They will be miserable without their father. Its not fair that everyone must suffer just to satisfy you. What's the point of even having these children, huh? What do you gain from all this!"

The king placed both of his hands on her shoulders and rested his forehead on hers and whispered, "Vengeance…"

May stumbled backwards.

"I did everything that woman wanted, and she repaid me by putting me through hell!"

May continued walking until she was pinned against the glass wall of the sphere.

"By saying those words to me, I was no longer able to see her nor the babe. That was until he had children. I could only use these crystals to watch over them when he wasn't around. Both the babe and Sarah love those children. I want them to feel the agony that I felt when I could no longer reach them."

"You just want Sarah to call out to you again, don't you?" May said as if she was ignoring his previous statement. "If she calls out to you, you can see her again, right?"

The King stared at the retreating woman, then took a few steps forward.

"Are you worried about that?" Jareth placed his hand on May's face, she stopped in her tracks. The clock made another loud boom, and May moved her gaze to the clock that now said she only had one hour left.

"Let go of me." May swatted the King's hand away and bolted towards the chair.

"May! Please!"

The young woman picked up the heavy chair and looked back at Jareth, she mouthed him a message but alas her soundless words were all but a beautiful mystery to him. She lifted the object above her head and smashed it against the fragile wall.


	12. Chapter 12

The young woman fell through the air at an intense pace, though to her she seemed to be floating slowly to the ground below. She watched as the glass bubble had shattered and her clothes faded back into the tattered shorts, loose borrowed shirt and the still damp boots. She landed on an old mattress in the middle of a junk yard. One of the springs cut her thigh as she fell upon it. The woman was confused and dazed and simply laid on the rotten piece of furniture.

Meanwhile four stacks of trash over the sorrowful dwarf sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands on the back of his neck.

"She was rude, but she was mostly nice… And she was scary, but never teasing…." Hoggle sniffed, trying to hold back his emotions. He stared at the jewelry that the forgotten friend had given him feeling a sense that this wasn't the first time he had done something like this. "She won't forgive me…. She…." He looked down at the trash below his feet in remorse. "What have I done… I wanted to remember a lost friend…. But I ended up losing the only friend I can remember ever having…."

May stirred on the mattress and finally stood up, she stumbled at bit and it took several moments before she could see straight.

"Where?.. Where am I?" she clutched her head and lost her balance sending her into a pile of junk that barked at her.

"WHY DON"T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING?" the pile of trash yelled, May jumped aback as the pile turned around to reveal an old goblin woman with a pack of garbage tied to her back.

"I am ever so sorry dear wanderer." May's usually language and mannerisms were escaping her, in fact if the old woman would have asked her of her name, She wouldn't know what to say. The old woman looked her over in curiosity.

"Say where are you going at this time of day missy?" the old goblin asked in a kinder yet creepier tone of voice.

"I am… I was… I might be…" May's head and vision was still spinning. "I was searching for something…." Her words getting clearer.

The old goblin reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold ring, May's eyes became fixated on it.

"This is what you were looking for wasn't it my dear?" She handed it to the young confused woman. She took it and put it on her left ring finger and closed her hands her fingers interlocking in a prayer like fashion.

"I still love him…." Her words were mumbled and slurred together in a whisper, as if she was aware that she was speaking at all.

"What was that, missy" the old woman's eyes grew larger.

"I love it." May said clear as crystal.

"Well, if you like that, why don't you come in here and see if there's anything else you like." The goblin lead May through the trash piles and into a cave-like place. She laughed as May stepped through into the darkness that surrounded the opening. The interior of the cave was a small bedroom that seemed so familiar to the young woman. There was a queen sized bed with a dark purple comforter on it that compelled May to flop down on it. It was soft and warm to the touch. The walls were lined with photographs of herself and someone else, but his or her face was ripped, burned, or cut out. She looked back over at the ring on her hand and felt sadness wash over her, tears fell from her eyes and she had no idea why. May sat up from the purple bed and stared at her reflection in the vanity dresser that was adjacent to it.

"Was it a dream?" she looked at her newly red face and glossy eyes, and thought that she looked like a china doll that a child had scribbled on with a red marker.

"A child… children…" her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Is that you Mom? Dad? Traditionally you knock at the front door to someone's house, not just their bedroom." May said in a joking tone as she approached the door. However she was horrified to see the old goblin woman barge through the door.

"My, My… Well you have a very empty room." The old woman seemed appalled at the lack of materials presented. The room had her purple bed, a vanity, a closet, a few photographs, a laptop and a television.

"It's all I need in my bedroom. All my crap is the rest of the house." Though her memories weren't all there yet, May's attitude was creeping back. May stood with her arms crossed looking disapprovingly at the old goblin.

"Well looky here, here's a picture of you and…" the goblin had grabbed one of the photographs off the wall and was now feeling a little stress for nothing in the room held anything that May cherished.

"I don't know either." May said glancing at the photo, another involuntary tear ran down her check.

"how about…" the goblin opened the closet revealing twenty or so corsets, five leather jackets, thirteen classic rock shirts, three skirts, two unlabeled boxes, ten pairs of jeans, and one long elegant white wedding dress. May almost collapsed to the floor at the sight of that horrible dress. The old woman opened one of the box's and pulled out a pizza place menu and a dead rose.

"And people say that I keep everything." She snickered.

"You listen here you fucking hoarder! Put my shit down!" May yelled as she aggressively took back the two items threw them in the closet and slammed the door shut, tears welled in her eyes as she screamed. The two stared at each other in silence until it was broken by the sound of knocking, though this time it was coming from within the closet.


	13. Chapter 13

May turned to face the closet, she slowly opened the sliding door to see the Goblin King sitting on the stack of boxes reading the old pizza menu.

"The price really has gone up, hasn't it?" He said in a casual tone.

"Who the fuck are you?!" The pissed young woman exclaimed as she pointed the man out of her closet.

"My lord…" the old woman graveled as she saw Jareth.

"I've really missed this May. So full of life, so full of spirt." The king said while exiting through the closet door, eyeing the woman over paying no attention to the ghoul.

"What in bloody hell is going on here?"

"So full of curses." Jareth took May's hand and kissed it gently.

"My lord… If I had known she was yours I would have never." The old woman's apology was cut off.

"I'm nobody's! Got that?!" May said retracting her hand from Jareth, and turned away from him.

"Isn't that your problem though?" He said in his suave tone, she looked back at him. "Old wrinkled woman, you can leave." The king ordered. She did as he said though she wasn't happy about it.

"What problem?! I'm perfectly content." May said while another unwanted tear fell from her eye.

"No one is ever perfectly content and knows it." The King said while wiping away her tear.

"Are you the man in these photos?" The young woman asked as she moved away and plucked one of the photographs off the wall.

"Do you want me to be?" Jareth asked getting closer to her.

"Are you the man who gave me this ring?" The ring itself the king grow uneasy. He had not paid full attention to the object before and it wasn't until recent he found out what it truly was; he couldn't stand the thought that someone had found May before him. He didn't like how much she treasured it.

"I very well could be."

"Are you the man whom I wanted to be seen in that dress?"

"Am I?" Jareth was now only a few inches away from her, he was trying his hardest not to do anything that could upset her or drive her away, alike what he did to Sarah.

"Are you the man who stole my heart, then returned it broken?" May only waited a brief moment before continuing, "I do not believe that you are." She placed her hand on his face and smiled gently at him. Jareth stared at her beauty and was almost fooled, but there was no mistaking those eyes. She leaned in close and whispered.

"I want my fucking children back." She grabbed the king by his collar and attempted to slam him against the wall, but he moved too quickly and broke free of her grasp.

"Why are they so important?!" The King grew frustrated.

"They're my only constant!" Tears rolled down her face, as everything came back, flooding her mind. The King a little shocked at her appearance was able to get close enough to put his hands on her shoulders. He lifted her chin slightly so that he could stare into her glossy eyes.

"They don't have to be your only constant in life." A strange sensation swept over the young woman as the King spoke. Without permission from her head, her arms wrapped around Jareth tightly. The king returned her embrace, he had never expected that such few words could do so much.

"Jareth, what do you mean by that? He said something similar to what you just said. He even said and did much more, but he still left for something better." Her voice returned to its harshness when she spoke of the other person.

"There is nothing better than you." Jareth cooed as he stroked the young woman's hair.

"Not even Vengeance." She pulled away from him, and started to walk away.

"I would do anything for you."

"Then send Jayden and Estella back to their father."

"Are we back to this?!"

"It doesn't matter what I do, I can't say the word _! How am I to do anything even if I get to your fucking castle! I'm screwed no matter what happens! Even If I get my head ripped off by firerys, or jump into the bog of Eternal Stench, or even jump into that bed with you, or Conquer every riddle or fail every one, whether I'm outside the bloody labyrinth or in the center of the castle, I'm screwed because nothing I do or say will help me nor hurt my chances of getting back home! It's not fucking fair! The only thing I can do is beg you to send the children back!"


	14. Chapter 14

The king stared at frustrated girl in front of him. Never had he seen so much various emotions passed through someone in just one outburst. He went to say something to her when a strange feeling washed over him. He may be winning the battle, but looking at the angry woman he knew he was going to lose the war if he didn't think quickly.

"I'll let the children go back home… However you will have to stay."

"No games, no tricks." May said not fully convinced that she had won over the Goblin King.

"No games." He extended his hand out for her to take. "No tricks." He placed his other hand behind his back and crossed his fingers.

"Do I get to say goodbye?" May said her arms crossed.

"No."

"Then how will I know that they're safe and at home!" May's back was up again.

"Here." Jareth calmly threw an orb her way. May looked down to see the two kids asleep in their beds.

"I don't understand, not three minutes ago you would do anything to keep them here."

"If that was your deal breaker than I was willing to do so." The king lied.

"There is one more thing I want."

"Please do not say that you want your axe back."

"I want to keep this room." May sat down on her bed.

"Why? Nothing here is useful in this world." Jareth said while taking a photograph off the wall.

"Its comforting, plus all my clothes are in here." She flopped down. Jareth looked at her in amazement, five minutes ago he was sure that she would rip him limb from limb and laugh when she was through. However she now talked to him as if he was her friend.

"Might I asked who was in these photographs." A twinge of jealousy carried in his voice.

"My fiancée." As the words escaped her lips, Jareth grew angry.

"You are to be married?" Though he already knew the answer it did not stop him from stirring.

"I was supposed to." May rolled over on the bed, her mind filled to the brim. Relief and paranoia filled her subconscious.

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes." Jareth ripped the photograph involuntarily. "But he doesn't… Let us not dwell on that past…"

Jareth slowly sat down beside the girl on her bed.

"Don't get any ideas!" May said while sitting up from her laying position. The goblin king raised his hands up to assure her.

"The castle is bigger than this." Jareth said while kicking his feet up on to the bed.

"I don't want bigger. This is the closest thing to home now." She hugged her knees.

"Why is there so much better?"

"It makes sense. My family is there, and I have my freedom." Her snarky tone had returned.

"You are free to roam anywhere you want in this world."

"So I can walk around the castle, the deadly labyrinth, the desert and this room?" she flopped down so that her head was at the foot of the bed. She looked up and saw the belt that she had looped around the frame. She unhooked it and started rolling in and out of a spiral.

"There is more beyond the labyrinth, it just isn't as kind." May sprung up in anger.

"What could be worse than this death trap!"

"Well to be honest, you are the only creature to cause so much harm in such a short period of time being here."

"That's because I don't belong here." May was staring at the comfortable king, her hands clutching onto the spiraled belt.

"You do belong here." May refused to make eye contact.

"The pain you wanted Sarah and Toby to feel, is the pain that I have endured… How can I forgive that?" May was about to stand up when the king grabbed on to her wrist and pulled her to him.

"You don't have to." May was on top of the king who was mesmerized by his own intentions. Quickly she unraveled the belt and tied the kings wrists to the head board. And for the first time during the conversation May looked at the king straight into his eyes, her eyes fiery with hatred.

"You think I would fall for that?!" May got off the bed and started towards the door. "You said yourself when someone leaves here you can no longer track them with those crystal things! So why would my kids be any different!?" She opened the door and the sound of her labyrinth friends calling out for her filled the air.

"May, please…" The king said as he attempted to get loose from the belt.

"All you do is lie and hurt people! I don't know what your angle is, and frankly I don't care anymore!" She slammed the door behind her and the room's image morphed back into the heaps of trash. For a moment the Goblin king sat in a pile of rubbish staring at what used to the door. He tried running through different scenarios to which he could have everything, but alas there was no way. Eventually May would find the children, and she wouldn't be content with them here. For the first time Jareth had to choose between May and Sarah.


	15. Chapter 15

May bit on to her lip as she slammed the door behind her. She wasn't completely sure that she was correct, and the paranoia of pissing off someone as powerful as him was hitting her hard.

"Mistress! There you are!" Sir Didymus and the rest, including Hoggle, appeared before the young woman.

"May what happened?" the concerned dwarf stammered as the woman continued to stare blankly into the void. Her hand started to shake and her body was growing weak. She took a step forward and nearly fell to the ground.

"Do you know where the castle is?" Her voice was as cold as ice.

"Just beyond thy pile of trash, Mistress." Sir Didymus exclaimed proudly as he extended his sword in the direction of the castle.

"Then we should go." May followed the fox like creature who had picked up another conversation with Ludo, and was bragging of his past adventures.

"I'm so sorry, May…" the dwarf said while looking up to catch her gaze.

"It's alright, It was a pleasant dream." She smiled at the dwarf with sincerity. "But sadly it was just a dream."

"A dream?" May looked down at the dwarf.

"It was place that could have been perfect…"

The dwarf could tell that the young woman was not at peace with what she was doing. Early on Hoggle knew and feared the determination of the human girl, however as she was now he felt uneasy. He knew he was going to have to fight a war that she alone had created.

"Do you?..." the dwarf was cut off by the knight.

"Ah ha! The gates to the city!" The fox-like creature spewed as he pointed his sword in the direction of the large gate that had seemed to just appear out of nowhere.

As they approached the gate seemed to get smaller and smaller, till it completely vanished.

"Say, did you know Sarah?" the dwarf stammered trying to obtain conversation.

"Briefly." There was distain in the young woman's voice.

"Were you friends with her too?" the dwarf said not reading the room.

"At one point."

"But you still remember her, so why aren't you…"

"I hate her." May cut off Hoggle's persistence. The young woman's icy eyes returned and the shaking feelings she held onto early had almost completely disappeared with those words.

The entire gang stopped in their footsteps as she spoke. They were supposed to stop Jareth so that they could remember Sarah and the friendship they had, so why would May speak so ill of her now.

"I thought that Sarah was a good person." The dwarf said looking hurt by the woman's words.

"She is." May cooed and walked in front of everyone, "But I am not."

"You're scary, but you are not bad." Hoggle said in protest, he walked over to the down spiraling young woman.

"Hoggle, I try my best to be kind. But even you must admit that I am not sweetest nor am I the friendliest." She looked over at Ludo and Sir Didymus, "I am the most ruthless creature in this labyrinth, and that includes Jareth! So that's why you shouldn't follow me into this city." A new gate had appeared infront of them, a giant metal knight guarded its doors.

"No one is more ruthless than that barbarian!" Sir Didymus exclaimed as loud as one could.

"Has Jareth ever caused any of you harm?"

"He erased our memories of Sarah." Hoggle said trying to make the young woman feel better.

"And he has dropped quite a few creatures in the bog." The fox said while approached May.

"Not to mention the goblins." Didymus spoke up again.

"What about the goblins?"

"Why they were… they were…" Didymus seemed to stump even himself, he knew of something but couldn't place it on what it was. May looked down at the blouse she was wearing, she had stolen it from a group of goblins.

"He said that his brother didn't get there in time…" the young woman mumbled, "Oh God!" May dashed towards the gates and the knight. The metal knight swung its giant axe, sadly for May, she didn't see it coming.

**Author's Note:**

> (( Some details in her reinterpretation of Labyrinth are opinionated, simply because this her trying to remember the story and embellishing certain aspects of the story. ))


End file.
